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Low Lying Placenta

Feeling a bit low and 'marmite down'.

Had a scan yesterday at 27 weeks and 5 days to check for growth and see what my placenta's up to. The growth bit went well and we confirmed it was a girl - she's going to be tall as her femur measurement is a good 5 days ahead of schedule whilst her head and stomach measurements are spot on target. problem was that my llp has actually got a bit worse. At our 20 week scan it was just touching the o.s/birth canal but now it is covering part of it. The sonographer and midwife had told us that it would likely shift up and at 20 weeks it was pretty common. They were both gobsmacked that it had got worse (we had a midwife appt straight after yesterday's scan). So I'm booked in for another scan in 4 weeks and have to see the consultant immediately after it.

My gut feeling is that all will be well, but my dh is petrified again, and is wanting me to stop work (I have only just started lecturing again) which I really don't want to do. I can understand his concern, but if bleeding starts or baby decides to come early there is nothing I can do to prevent it, so I have decided to carry on life as normal. If bleeding does start I'll get taken into hospital and may have to stay until it stops or until the perform a (possibly early) c-section. If the placenta continues to stay low, I can't deliver vaginally which will be a huge disappointment, but I just want a healthy happy baby, so I'm willing to go with a c-section.

So even more than before - every day is a bonus. The later we go, the better chance our little girl has just incase a placental previa or abruption happens. Please keep your fingers crossed for us.

Theres probably no need to give up work, but make sure you take it easy!! Try to relax as much as possible, the chances of an abbruption or prem labour are of course, a possibility, but the chances if you are not doing anything strenuous and staying calm are slimmer.

If born now, while she would be very small, her chances of survival would be very good, and they will continue to get better with each day.

Chances are I assume, that on your next scan, your placenta will not have moved out of the way, but, your consultant will probably not want to leave you cooking too long, and will probably plan an early c-section.. Remember that they will do everything best for you and your baby.

Congratulations though on the good growth of your little girl, continue with the good work!!!

xxx

4 baby angels, forever in our hearts

* CLICK *
TO SUPPORT FZ!

This post has been edited 1 times, last edit by "Missy" (Oct 8th 2005, 12:50pm)

Bummer!!!! Although I may have a teeny tiny ray of hope for you. I had a LLP with my last baby and each sonographer measured it differently depending on where they held the thing on my tummy, how baby was lying and how I was lying.

They had told me at a 36 week scan that I would need a section and they were ready to book me in but I demanded another scan the week after. At 37 weeks it was approx 3.5cm from my os and they let me have a homebirth.

I was a bit boggled about how it had managed to move so much in a week after literally staying put for 16 weeks but I wasn't going to argue with them about it lol.

Try not to worry, like you say... your gut feeling tells you that everything will be fine and it probably will. I know what you mean about missing out on a natural birth, I was devastated about having to have a section as I desperately wanted a home birth yet my gut feeling was that everything would work out fine and it did

It was lovely sam, perfect I could've done it all over again straight after.

I think that it made a difference being my second baby as labour is quicker and birth easier. I don't know that it would've been quite so easy with a first baby but I would recommend it to anyone having subsequent babies.

(In fact I already recommended it to someone who had her third baby at home...... and she loved it too )

I don't know of anyone who has said that they wished they'd gone into hospital instead.

zig, am so sorry for you hun, and have got my fingers crossed for you!
i was in hospital fo 3 months coz of placenta previa and it was horrible! i did heamorage alot and was taken down to delivery and made ready for a c section, but it always stopped, thank god!
then i was booked in for a c section on 19th feb as the placenta just wouldnt budge!! so i was taken for a check up scan 2 weeks before section, was told it still hadnt moved, 3 days before the sction, i was taken for another scan to check where it was (as cons didnt want to cut through it) and it had totally moved out of the way and dds head was engadged! (which was the cause of the pains in my bits!) so i was sent home and delivered naturally which was a huge relief!
i really hope that your placenta does move out of the way and that everythin`s fine!
take care. xx

Hi Zig, hope you're hanging in there! The girl beside me in hospital has llp and she was brought in to rest to allow her preganncy to get to 38 weeks. She did have to have a section but all was well. Try not to be too active if poss though. Hope all goes well, take care, lesa xoxox

I'm feeling a bit more relaxed about it and trying to focus on the good bits whilst cheering dh up. I think it was the first bit of bad news we'd received in a while and we were still on a high after the wedding, so it was back to earth with a bump (pardon the pun).

A home birth would be complete nirvana for me, but as this was our first, and with all the trouble we had at the beginning, I knew a home birth would be pie in the sky. Hopefully baby No2 will be delivered in our front room with baby No1 and Inca-dog in on the act! (Now that is the stuff of dreams!!!!!)

Well here I am at the end of week 32 after having a scan to see if my LLP has moved. And the answer is "no".

Bugger.

Saw my lovely consultant afterwards (he's mad as a hatter but straight talking and very caring, so I trust him completely) who was sufficiently concerned enough to pencil me in for an early c-section on 13th Dec. That's 3 weeks earlier than my due date, which is the bit I'm worried about. After going thru all the prem baby stuff with my sister not so long ago, I don't want it to happen to us.

Luckily I have had no recent bleeding (touch wood) and the placental previa is 'minor' (just covering the internal OS) so it still has the possibility of moving out of the way. We're having another scan in a week's time and we'll see what's what then. If I start to bleed again I may have to go and rest in hospital which will be a nightmare - even worse still is if the bleeding is bad enough to bring on labour or for them to have to do an emergency section before the planned one. let's just pray that my next scan brings better news.

This baby is determined to make her presence felt!!!!

ZIG xxx

ps. On a more positive note, most of my nursery/baby stuff has arrived now and we have had a lovely time opening boxes and trying to fit pushchairs/cots/etc together. I never ever thought we'd be doing that and it has been wonderful. Even with the worry of the LLP it's still exciting.

aw hun! it seems that no matter what stage of PG we're in there's always something to worry about!

I'm sure things will be ok in the end!

I was placenta previa and my mum was in hospital 8 weeks before I was due (which would be like you going in now) and at 4 weeks they had to do an emergency c-section to get me out!!!

but you're over 31 weeks now which is the real danger zone for having a premature birth! and even if it did come out now the chances of the lil-en spending weeks in ICU would be very slim!!

So try not to worry too much hun, if I ended up having a c-section to be honest i wouldn't be that bothered! so long as Alex was in my arms afterwards yeah I'd miss out on having a natural birth but it wouldn't be the end of the world, and as for my figure you never know i could persuade them to do a tummy tuck whilst they were sewing me back up!

tee hee!

hope everything goes alrght for you anyway hun! its really not long for us now!

Zig, our cons also said that they will deliver at 37 weeks, but completely reassured us that although an early delivery it is NOT a premature one!! Your babys lungs should most definately be matured and able to deal with the outside world, and they are not going to put you or your baby at any unecessary risk... on the plus side, you will have that lovely early christmas present!!

Cheers Girls,
You're all so right - I'm just being a worrier!
Bells - I'm going to try and push for a scan just prior to the section and see what the story is then.
Jess - the size I have stretched to I think I should push for a tummy tuck too!

Not good news about the c-section, but it must feel a bit weird having a date to work to! At least it sounds like there may be a chance of your LLP moving, if it is only slightly in the way. And at least they are going to give you another scan to check.

At the end of the day, all any of us want is a safe delivery and healthy baby and 37 weeks is considered full term. It might not be the ideal way, but as long as you get that result it will be fine! (And if you do need a c-section as long as your waters are intact, then GBS isn't a problem, so there's a silver lining there somewhere!).

hi although im only 18weeks pg - i have llp and its totally covering cervix its being really troublesome though and causing big bleeds -one minute im ok then the next i feel a gush - im so stressed out at the moment because i have to wait until im at least 23 weeks until it becomes a viable baby - the hospital keep telling me i will definitely end up in hospital until i have the baby - does anyone know what i should or shouldnt be doing to help prevent the bleeding etc - also the hospital want me to go too a+e everytime i have a big bleed - did anyone else have to do this???????help!

Oh Kel - I'm so sorry you're having to go thru this. It makes my worries very trivial and fade to nothing in comparison.

But all is not doom and gloom for you. You HAVE to stay positive. There are fellow FZ ladies who have bled throughout almost all of their pregnancies, for one reason or another, and are still hanging on in there with a healthy babba growing inside. My sister's friend bled almost every day from bfp right up until she delivered. I had bleeds too in my first trimester - it really isn't uncommon. And neither is LLP/placental praevia. It's not unusual for the placenta to stay low until after your 20 week scan, but then in most cases it's out of the way by your third trimester (28ish weeks). For 1 in 200 cases, it remains low and must be monitored incase of any bleeding. The heavier and further on you get, you are more likely to bleed. And the severity of the bleed co-incides with how much of the placenta covers the internal os/birth canal.

In many LLP cases, mums-to-be are taken into hospital quite early on in their pregnancy and remain in until the specialists deem it safe to deliver (usually in the 3rd trimester, but it could be a wee bit before if necessary). This may sound like bad news, but wouldn't you rather be monitored, looked after and have a healthy baby???

I agree with your hospital - you MUST go to A&E everytime you have a bigger bleed. It's a horrendous panic (I remember it all too well) and a journey you can well do without, I'm sure, but at least they'll monitor you and make sure everything is ok. Pressure your consultant into getting a regular monitoring and re-assurance scan every fortnight and don't let them fob you off - INSIST. And if you aren't in the care of a consultant yet, insist that they book you in asap. What does your midwife say? Have a chat with her/him about it.

In the meantime, rest up as much as possible. Don't do any kind of lifting or stretching, and lie with your feet raised as often as you can. Sex is completely off the menu too! Other than that there is very little you can do to prevent it from happening. That may sound a little blunt, but it's true.

I hope these next few weeks really fly in for you and your babba. Please let us know how you're getting on. Try to stay sane.

thnkyou 4 all your advice etc, today im going to go out and buy one of those baby heart moniter things (dont know what there called) i think it might make me feel better and zig i will speak to m/wife and const etc to see what they can do to put my mind at rest xxxx

Hi Kel
Sorry you've got this additional worry - it sounds like you're in safe hands though with your doctors.

I brought my doppler on ebay from a company called 'Ana Wiz Ltd' came the next day and quite reasonably priced - I got the most basic one that just gives you the sound of the heartbeat rather than telling you digitally how many beats per minute (thought I might start to worry if I had too much info!) looks a bit cheap looking but works really well. Hope this helps

Just had another scan and chat with consultant this morning. My LLP has not even moved a few millimetres, so I'm DEFFO having a c-section on the 15th December - EEEKKKK! Hopefully I will stay bleed free for the next 3 weeks and it'll all go according to plan. The cons said that it's extremely unlikely to shift the necessary 5 cms in the next few weeks, and I have to agree. Plus I have got a c-section settled in my head now, so having a scan nearer the time etc has been cancelled as an option. I finally feel comfortable with this plan - infact, I'm really looking forward to it. Plus, the GBS threat is almost zero, which is one less thing to worry about.

The scan was magnificent today - we watched her gulping in fluid and she has very kissy lips with gorgeous chubby cheeks. And her chin is just like her Dad's. I couldn't believe how clear it was for an ultrasound. We had tears pouring down our faces watching her.

Zig
how lovely to have had such a good sight of your daughter! Now that you know for sure what is going to happen you can just look forward to holding her in your arms on the 15th - how exciting just a few weeks to go!

just wanted to say that i too had placenta previa when preg with dd, i had the worst case of it-heamoraged (spelling) every two weeks, was kept into hospital for the last 3 months of pregnancy, on delivery every fortnight being prepared for emergency c section than they got the bleed under control and i was sent back up to the ward!
it`s easy to say, but try not to worry too much, i didnt let it affect me as i knew i was in the best place and i`d already made it clear to my cons that if at any time they couldnt controll the bleed-they were to get baby out before trying to save me. dont want to scare you, but it`ll affect you before it does your baby, or so i was told.
it`s also a good idea to speak about it to family, friends, midwives etc instead of bottling the fear up-i`m convincened bottling it all up was the trigger for my postnatal depression.
drink a can of guiness and black current a night to help with your blood iron and you must have as much rest as possible-it`ll drive you insane but it`s the best thing.
also, i was told not to have sex, but i did and that didnt cause any of my bleeds, walking round the hospital did! (where did i have sex? in the hospital bathroom! lol)
i wish you all the best and hope that your placenta does move, mine moved 3 days before the planned c section, i had a scan so the cons knew where the surgeons could cut, and hey presto-the placenta had moved and dds head was engadged!

Well just over a week to go and I'm starting to feel very ready.... I have gotten weepy and tired, which freaks poor old dh out! It's like I'm out of control and everything is stressing me out. I have become such a grump - and don't even mention Christmas to me!!!

Saw midwife yesterday and she reckons that babba is going to be approx 7lbs 2oz when born, which isn't too bad for 3 weeks early, so I'm worrying less about her being small and premature. It's a ball-park figure, but it keeps me happy!

We're off on the Pre-Natal Class hospital tour tonight, which will be interesting - do I get to book my 'deluxe en-suite with a view' room in advance and order early from the 4 course Table D'Hote menu??!! Mmmmm - hospital food!!!

Got a shock when midwife said I'll be in hospital for AT LEAST 4 days, as I was hoping to be out in 3. We'll see I suppose - whatever's best for babba and me. At least we'll both be escaping dh's nesting projects. The house is still a tip from drilling, tiling, plumbing, carpeting.... he's promised to get it done by this weekend, but I have a feeling it may run on a little longer than planned. Bless him.

I'm doing a bellycast today as part of dh's Christmas pressie (who just mentioned the C-word?!). My sister is coming over to help me plaster it on - should be fun! Then I'm off to get my bits waxed (delightful!) and have a facial. It'll be the last chance for a very long time, I'm sure!

Zig - hope all goes well on the 15th. At least you know what's going to happen and when. Think of it from the point of view of the baby - there was a chance it would have decided to be born on Christmas Day, so at least you've saved it that problem for the rest of its life! And 7lb+ is fine - my boy was 7lb on the dot. It doesn't need to be any heavier. Babies are heavier these days on average than they used to be, and 7lb used to be average.

Take care in the meantime.
Limpet

Had a total of three fresh IVF cycles and three frozen transfers(embryos and blastocysts)m/c @ 11 weeks in 2007DS1 and DS2 born from fresh IVF cycles

lovely to hear from you and to hear that you're doing well. I can understand your wish to get out and back home asap, as you say, if being there for a longer time is best, then it's what needs to be done. The time will probably fly-by and you'll be home in no time at all.

7lbs 2oz is a good weight, I think I was 7lb on the dot - so I always think that has to be a fab weight

I hope DH completes his 'nesting project' this weekend all ready for the birth.

Lots of luck, enjoy your waxing ( 8oouch!) and facial ( much better!) and take care.

The thought of a C-Section can be frightening, I know I was terrified when DS turned breech, he turned back but i ended up having an emergency one anyway. It's no way near as bad as you imagine, I sat having a conversation with DH through the surgery, the recovery is definately not as slow as you imagine but just follow your midwives advice. I was also advised to bath in Dettol (is that right the orange stuff?), it helps the scar to stay clean and means it heals well, I have a neat little line now and had no problems.

Thanks, lasses - it's lovely to think that you'll be rooting for me on the day. I'll be thinking of you all too.

The hospital visit was a bit surreal... dh and I got a 'personal tour' of the delivery operating theatre, which actually isn't all that bad. The delivery ward was pretty full, as was the post-natal ward, so it felt a bit strange dodging in and out of rooms. Luckily there was nobody mid-labour and screaming, as the dads-to-be would have been fainting and heading for the door!

We've just waved our middle neice off for her operation for curvature of the spine (scoliosis), so we've had a pretty emotional/strange night all in all. She's going to be in hospital over in Newcastle from tomorrow for at least a week (possibly 2), and my sis-in-law & bro-in-law are staying over there too. We are a very close knit family and are devastated that they won't be able to visit baby straight away, or that we aren't going to be able to go and visit her as it's over 2 hours drive. When we arrived tonight she was off out to her school play with her mates and looked soooo beautiful (and all grown up!). Dh and I had a good blub after saying our goodbyes - pair of old softies.